Template revised January 10, 2019.
COMMISSION
AGENDA
MEMORANDUM
Item No. 8h
ACTION ITEM
Date of Meeting
June 9, 2026
DATE: May 11, 2026
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Jason Berg, Aviation Real Estate & Portfolio Manager
Eric Schinfeld, Senior Manager, Federal Government Relations
SUBJECT: King County ILA Renewal For-Hire Transportation Regulatory Services Action Memo
ACTION REQUESTED
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to enter into an Interlocal
Agreement (ILA) with King County for For-Hire Transportation Regulatory Services. This ILA will
be effective for one year from the date of execution, and shall automatically renew from year to
year unless either party terminates with 30 days written notice to the other party.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Changes in King County policies related to for-hire transportation require the Port and King
County to update their long-time ILA to accurately reflect these updates. In particular, the ILA
has been drafted to incorporate general updates and to add the new chapter of King County
Code, chapter 6.65. The update has been negotiated between the Port and King County, and has
been reviewed and finalized by the Port’s Legal Department and Aviation Division staff.
DETAILS
The Port of Seattle and King County executed an ILA that went into effect on April 9, 1987 for the
enforcement of taxi and for-hire transportation regulations on airport property. King County
continues to regulate the for-hire transportation industry by providing regulatory services for 16
cities as well as the Port of Seattle at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The County has a
similarly long history of working with the City of Seattle to license and enforce these respective
regulations.
In December 2023, King County Executive Dow Constantine signed four ordinances related to for-
hire transportation. They include:
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8h Page 2 of 2
Meeting Date: June 9, 2026
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
•
Ordinance 19699, which updates King County Code (KCC) chapter 6.64 provisions related
to transportation network companies, drivers, and vehicles, to better align with state law
and to remove regulations related to taxicabs and for-hire vehicles from the chapter.
• Ordinance 19700, which establishes a new chapter in King County Code to regulate
taxicab and for-hire vehicle operators. The goals in establishing this new chapter are to
update and modernize the regulations for this part of the industry, to create a more
regional licensing model for companies, drivers and vehicles, to formally begin the
transition to new technology via smart taximeters systems, to provide greater flexibility
for individual companies to implement more competitive fare strategies like upfront fares
and dynamic pricing, and to improve alignment with the City of Seattle’s regulatory
program by reducing the complexity of navigating similar but slightly different code
requirements.
• Ordinance 19692, which authorizes the Executive to enter into updated interlocal
agreements with local jurisdictions to provide for-hire regulatory services. In addition to
general updates, the new ILA incorporates the newly adopted chapter in King County
Code.
• Ordinance 19693, which authorizes the Executive to enter an updated interlocal
agreement with the City of Seattle to regulate the for-hire transportation industry, adds
the new chapter created in King County Code and a companion chapter in Seattle
Municipal Code, and delineates the roles and responsibilities between the City and King
County.
The existing ILA between King County and the Port of Seattle currently only refers to KCC chapter
6.64. A new interlocal agreement has been drafted to incorporate general updates and to add
the new chapter of King County Code, chapter 6.65.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST
(1) Interlocal Agreement
